Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Mike Carey (R-OH) announced his office was working on legislation allowing seniors to receive emergency medical services at home without having to be transported to a hospital. The Improving Access to Emergency Medical Services Act, which is still in the drafting stage, would create a pilot program to test a treatment-in-place model for seniors on Medicare.
“Seniors should have the ability to receive ambulatory and emergency medical services at home for minor issues, without having to be transported to hospitals where they could potentially pick up dangerous infections,” said Rep. Carey. “Our legislation will also help limit emergency room backlogs, while ensuring ambulatory services are not stuck ferrying people back and forth for minor issues at the expense of more serious medical emergencies.”
Congressman Carey’s draft legislation would ensure that first responders can provide treatment on-site when needed with proper reimbursement, strengthening access to emergency services for our senior citizens. The bill requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to test an emergency medical services treatment-in-place model under Medicare.
A treatment-in-place pilot model was originally implemented and these types of flexibilities were allowed to EMS providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it proved efficient in helping senior citizens without overwhelming emergency rooms, the flexibilities were allowed to expire, and unfortunately, CMMI ended the pilot.
If implemented, estimates show that a treatment-in-place model could save Medicare well over one billion dollars.
Congressman Carey has worked with EMS stakeholders to advance his policy including the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, the American Ambulance Association, the International Association of Fire Fighters, and the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
During today’s Ways and Means hearing, Rep. Carey spoke about the importance of access to emergency care.
A copy of the discussion draft can be found here.